Forgotten Truth
by CapitalD
Summary: When a memory is too painful, you can erase it and create a new one. That's what the young Riza did. But a memory does not disappear, it's simply forgotten for a while. And one day, it will resurface. Riza-centered. Some cute Royai. COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

A.N.: Hey I guess I'm back with another story. I felt bored and wrote this. It's going to be very Riza centered, with some implied Royai of course. It takes place after the manga. So if you haven't read the whole thing, there's going to be some spoilers! Beware! Please be nice with me... and I hope you like this one too. It's not going to be too long.

* * *

After the whole incident in Central with the Homunculus has ended, Roy Mustang was promoted to the rank of General and immediately started working on his project to rebuild Ishbal to its former glory. It was a promise he had made with Doctor Marco in exchange for using the Philosopher's stone to get his eyesight back. However, it was not only the promise that drove him into conducting the project, but also the obligation he felt in doing so. He knew that nothing they did could ever atone for what the amestrisian soldiers had done to the holy land, but it was a start from both sides aiming for the same goal.

In spite of the General's hard efforts, there were still some minorities that opposed his leadership. Most of them were young men that had survived the Ishbal war, yet have lost some or all of their family members. Having lived day by day in slums and small villages, their harbored hatred for the amestrisians continued to grow in silence. The thought of having these soldiers that had taken everything from them trying to rebuild their land was mortifying and humiliating. Worst of all, it was the so-called 'Hero of Ishbal' that was attempting to be their new hero.

With the help of the elders, these young men hadn't acted up against Roy Mustang, but were obviously bitter about his part in this reconstruction. However, it wasn't enough to completely tame their anger. From time to time, they would initiate small attacks aimed at amestrisian soldiers. There hasn't been any deaths up to date, but if their skirmishes continue, complications could arise for the safety of the workers. This left Roy Mustang highly perturbed.

With the advice from his team, he was not to set foot in Ishbal until they had sorted out the problem. Each week, he would send a group of his subordinates to Ishbal to inspect on the progress and get an update on the rebels' pursuit.

"Be careful out there Lieutenant," Roy said with a strict voice.

Riza was about to board the train, but stopped midway. Looking back, she saw the look he gave her, and then nodded.

"Yes, sir." She saluted and went in to find a seat.

Roy didn't like the idea of staying in East City where he couldn't do anything but send out subordinates to do his job. It was infuriating and it irritated him. He knew that if he attempted to go there, Riza would drag him back. With the unknown threat over there, he would have to stay here until it was resolved. Still, he despised the idea of not being able to confirm his subordinates' safety at all times. Although he would never admit it, he truly felt useless, cooped up in an office. After he had watched Riza almost bleed to death in front of him, he would always feel uneasy whenever she was out of his sight.

Roy let out a heavy sight and walked back to his car. It has been a few months since the fight in Central against Father, but everything still felt like it had just happened the day before. His memories were still vivid and he could remember all the details of that day. He cringed as he remembered the blade cutting through her white skin; blood pouring out and the man dragging her around like a corpse. Roy grunted and ran a hand through his hair.

"Are you alright, General Mustang?" asked his driver.

"Yes, I'm just a little bit tired." It was true. Roy had spent a few sleepless nights thinking about the problems in Ishbal. All he could do now was trust Riza with his work and wait for her return.

* * *

Riza was reading reports on the more recent attacks on soldiers. They had some patterns that were similar in each case. They would strike at night; beat up their victim, rendering them unconscious and always aiming for an amestrisian. However, the urgency for her visit was because of the most recent case. This time, there was a message that was left at the crime scene. It said: _In the name of our God of the holy land of Ishbal, accept your punishment in retribution for your actions. _At least that's what the translation of the original message said.

Riza didn't blame them for still being angry. After all, there was no way they could ever undo the past. However, they were trying their best to reconcile with them. They were not there to seek forgiveness, but to fulfill their duty as fellow citizens of the same country. With a direct threat to the General, it was impossible for them to ignore this matter any longer. She had four subordinates assigned to her for this visit, since Roy had insisted she take some men for safety purposes. It seemed that the General did not understand that she was his bodyguard, and very capable of protecting herself. She did not need bodyguards of her own.

After riding the train for four hours, they came to a stop at the newly built station. There, she met some representatives from the construction team that led her towards a car that would bring her and her subordinates to the main office where she could meet with the one leading the project.

As they drove through the streets, Riza had a pleasant view of everyone eagerly working to rebuild the torn land. Harmony and laughter filled the air as the bond between the citizens strengthened. It was truly a good ambiance. But it left her frowning, wondering who could possibly want to ruin this newborn friendship.

Her timing couldn't have been better as she arrived to the head office of construction. Miles and Scar were already there discussing with Gerome, a skilled engineer whom Roy had entrusted with the project. She saluted the major and greeted Gerome and Scar.

"You got here quick. Did General Mustang send you right away when he heard the news?" asked Miles.

"Yes. I'm here to investigate this matter and also get an update on the construction," Riza stated.

Gerome reported all the work they had done since her last visit. Everything was progressing at a fast pace because of everyone's motivation and perseverance. Gerome admitted that the reconstruction was going much smoother than he had predicted.

When his report was done, Riza gave her attention to the two other men to discuss about an important matter at hand.

"The elders gave a message to all the young men recently, but it seems to have been futile. Since we don't know exactly who is involved in the attacks, it's proving to be more difficult than we thought," Miles said.

"They must be a small group of about four or five. If the group were any bigger, it would be harder for them to keep everything hidden. Asking around doesn't help either," Scar said.

"Then our only solution is to catch them in action. At least we know they act at night and only against amestrisians." With that, Riza and the two men discussed the different possibilities they had.

Scar and Miles recruited some trusted ishbalians to help them with the plan. They would take turns scouting the area at night, in hope of catching them. Their team consisted of a few people that had the appropriate skills in this kind of mission, stealth being the most important one. Riza couldn't be of much help since she had to return to East city the next morning. She would have to rely on them for this mission. All they could do now was wait silently.

* * *

Riza and her subordinates were warmly welcomed for diner, which was held outside in the center of the town where everybody came to get their food. It was a community project to bring everyone closer together by eating and chatting around small fires, laughing wholeheartedly. Riza was astonished every time she came here, how at ease everyone was and the eagerness they had to share their story. A lot of people were grateful for Roy's devotion to this project and thanked her repeatedly. Some of them made requests for Roy through her. It warmed her heart to know that everyone was accepting his sincere intentions.

"Where is he? Does it take that long to take a piss?" Riza heard one of her subordinates complain.

"What is it Michael?" She asked.

"Ah, Lieutenant Hawkeye. It's nothing serious, ma'am. I was just wondering why Sergeant Norman isn't back from his trip to the restroom." He replied tensely.

Riza looked towards the streets with a concerned frown.

"I'll go look for him."

"Huh? Lieutenant, I'll go since he's probably in the men's-" Riza was already gone before he had the chance to finish his sentence.

Riza walked down the empty streets noting every detail. It was already nighttime and her instincts told her something was out of the ordinary. She was on full alert and the further she walked down the empty streets, the more she felt tense.

Suddenly, she heard some faint noises and rough movements coming from an alley up ahead. She drew her gun and silently approached the alley, with her back against the wall. As she took a peek, she saw three men surrounding a fallen one with a bag over his head.

"That's what you get for coming back here." One of them said breathlessly.

Riza recognized the military uniform on the victim. She came out from her hiding, holding up her gun.

"All of you step away from the man." Her voice was angry and her glare was deadly.

They all looked startled and wary when she jumped out. Slowly they raised their hands and backed away.

"Sergeant Norman can you hear me? Norman!" She tried calling him, still keeping her eyes locked on the other men, but he didn't respond. "Are you the ones responsible for the attacks on the amestrisians?"

None of them made an attempt to answer.

"Everything can go smoothly if you all cooperate with me. Answer my questions and no one will get hurt." She warned.

She could see fear in their eyes, but they still stood their ground and refused to say a word. They were young, probably in their early twenties. The silence was making her impatient. She hated it when people didn't give her what she wanted.

"Look-" she started but jumped back when a gunshot landed in front of her, millimeters away from her feet. Turning to her right, she saw another guy with a gun in his hand, aiming at her. She whipped her gun around to aim back at him, and fired before she felt pain surge through her thigh. She stumbled a bit before regaining her composure and running across the street to another alley.

"Your arm! Are you alright?" She heard one of them ask.

"You fool! What were you doing? This was not part of the plan! Now she knows our faces! Make sure you catch her. She has a wounded leg. She can't go that far. If you can't catch her, than silence her for good."

_So that gunner is their leader,_ Riza thought. She clenched her jaw and cringed at every step she took. She had to get away fast and warn the others. But they would also have to leave the area since the gunshots would alarm the people around. Riza was reassured to know that Norman would be safe.

She knew they were close behind because she could hear scurried steps and their voices, cursing at each other.

_Damn, why did it have to be the leg. _She was finding it more and more difficult to run as the bleeding continued and her vision faltered.

She rounded a corner, only to be met with a dead end. She leaned against the wall and took heavy breaths. Going back to take another route would be risky but she didn't have much of a choice.

As she was deciding to leave, she noticed a small sewer opening on the ground near a corner. Then she remembered how Ran Fan had escaped from Bradley a few months back and smiled. It was a better idea than to risk going back the same way.

There was nothing covering the hole and the ladder leading downwards were old and rusty. It was probably the abandoned sewer system they had before. Without a second thought, she started to descend the ladder. Her heartbeat thumped harder and faster as the ladder cringed loudly and shook beneath her feet. She was afraid they would hear the noise and at the same time, she was afraid that the ladder would give way. She couldn't see the bottom and didn't know how high she would fall from. Unfortunately, both of her worries came true.

Her footing gave way and she fell with a hard landing to the bottom. The metal bar fell and landed on the cement floor with a loud clank. Riza's eyes widened and she gasped. She held her breath, listening for any noise up above.

"I heard something! Over here!"

She sighed in frustration. This was definitely not her day. She quickly hoisted herself up with a grunt, only to fall again, this time in the water. It was too dark to see anything and she had to feel her way around. Her pace quickened as she hear the voices approaching.

"I'll go down. You guys keep guard."

Riza didn't know where she was going. Every step took an immense effort and the growing pain in her right thigh didn't help. What was worst was the sewer water. It released a horrible stench and it crept up her pants all the way to her wound.

Riza was now racing to escape from the men and against time. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.

She slowed down when she thought she had been walking long enough. She came to a stop and listened. There was only silence; an eerie kind of silence. She sighed and felt around the dark for the side, where she could sit and get out of the dirty water.

Riza collapsed in exhaustion on the cement. It was pitch black. She felt around her thigh to evaluate the degree of injury she acquired. The bullet had lodged itself in her flesh, but she could take it out without a light. The only thing she could do was to stop the bleeding and cover the wound hoping that it hadn't yet been infected, which she highly doubted.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, her head was throbbing and her leg in extreme pain. It took her a few minutes to remember where she was and to get control over her body. _What a mess,_ she thought as she saw her stained clothes.

That's when she realized there was light, at least enough for her to see. Looking to both sides, she saw openings and light coming from the small holes. The light had an orangey color. She couldn't tell if it was sunrise or sunset.

She painfully got up, gripping the wall, and made her way towards the light. However, when she arrived at the opening, the ladder on the side of the wall had all rusted and fallen to pieces. _You've got to be kidding me._

She continued walking that way, searching for another opening. After all, sewers had many of them all across the town. If she continued walking she was bound to find another one.

Riza has to rely on the wall for support. She could feel herself growing hot with cold shivers. She felt utterly drained and light-headed. The worst thing was that she was completely lost.

She came across a few more openings, but it was to no avail since there was no way up. It was also starting to get dark, which indicated that it had indeed been sunset. _Great, just my luck, _she thought_._ She couldn't believe she had slept through a whole day. She was sure Roy had heard about it and rushed to Ishbal. She sighed, thinking about how he wouldn't ever let her come alone again.

Further ahead, she saw dim light coming from afar that illuminated an intact ladder. She limped faster towards it, thrilled to have found an exit. When she reached the surface, it was close to nighttime and she quickly needed to find a place to stay for the night.

Looking around, she didn't see anything familiar. She assumed it was another small town on the outskirts of Ishbal, or even further away. She came out of an alley very much similar to the one she had entered in the first place. She was met with a busy street, which she assumed was the center of the town. She spotted an inn at the corner of the street and headed towards it, trying to look as normal as possible, but it wasn't that easy with blood smeared all over her pants and the smell that reeked. She avoided the eyes of everyone that stared at her and concentrated on her goal.

The entrance of the small inn was directly in the pub area, where people came to drink and eat their meals. It must've been around suppertime since the room was packed. As her presence was noticed, the room suddenly got quieter as all the eyes observed the newcomer.

She walked to the front desk where a woman stood there, with a frightened look, waiting for her to speak.

"Excuse me ma'am, do you have a phone I could use?" Riza asked.

"Ah, uh, yes." The woman pulled the phone on her desk closer to Riza so she could reach it.

"Thank you. Could you tell me which town this is?"

"This is the town of Stratos."

"Is it close to Ishbal?"

"It's directly south of Ishbal, but we're separated by a chain of mountains, so it take about eight hours by car to go around them and come here. At least that's the fastest way I know."

The sewer must've passed directly under the mountains to reach this town. It must've been quite a large and impressive network to cover all the area in the East. That means she probably walked around for a good two to four hours to reach this place.

She thanked the woman again before calling Roy's office in East City.

"General Mustang's office, secretary Lynn speaking."

"This is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, may I speak with the General please?"

"Oh, Lieutenant! The General left for Ishbal at five this morning. I was told to tell you to contact him there if you were to call here."

Riza thanked her and hung up after receiving Roy's number in Ishbal. When she called, it didn't even finish ringing the first time that someone picked it up.

"Mustang speaking."

"Sir, it's Lieutenant Hawkeye, I've-" Riza could finish speaking before Roy cut her off.

"Hawkeye! Where are you? Are you all right? What happened?" Roy's voice was frantic and anxious.

"Everything's fine, sir. Right now I'm at an inn in a town called Stratos, south of Ishbal."

"How in the world did you get there? Aren't there mountains? Don't tell me you hiked over them!"

"Of course not sir. It's humanly impossible to cross it in one day's hike. I got through from the abandoned sewers."

"I see. That's more reasonable. I'll send someone to pick you up right away. So you can rest for the night." Roy said with a calm voice. After hearing her voice and knowing she was well and alive, he felt a bit more reassured.

"Sir, I've wanted to report to you about the attackers as soon as possible. They were the ones who attacked Sergeant Norman yesterday night. They're a group of four and armed-"

"Don't worry Lieutenant. We've got it under control. One of them had a gunshot wound in his arm, am I right? I assume it was you. Miles and Scar's men weren't too far from the scene and they've managed to catch them after the gunshots were heard," Roy reassured her. Then he lowered his voice and added, "I'm glad you're safe Lieutenant."

"I'm sorry to have worried you, sir. But you should head back to East City as soon as you can sir. It isn't certain that they were only four. It could still be dangerous."

"Yes, yes Lieutenant. I'll return first thing in the morning. And you, make sure you come back quickly."

"Yes sir. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She hung up the phone and sighed in relief. Everything had gone well. She was glad they had been caught, if not, the chances of them fleeing would've been very high.

"Do you have a open room for tonight, ma'am?" Riza asked the woman.

"Yes we do. What kind of room would you like miss?"

"Just a single. Is there a bathroom connected to it by any chance?" You never knew with small inns in towns like these. Some of them had common bathrooms for each floor.

"Yes they do. Now, I just need to ask you to fill out this form and pay for the room."

Luckily for Riza, she always carried a small wallet on her whenever she travelled and she had just enough money to spend the night here. She filled in the form with her general information and handed it back to her.

"Ok, here are your keys and I hope you have a good rest miss Riza Hawk-" The woman's eyes widened and her smiled disappeared. She stared at the paper and looked like she had just seen a ghost.

Riza frowned upon seeing the woman's strange reaction.

"Is everything all right ma'am?"

The woman looked up slowly. The color of her face was drained and her eyes were red. She stared at Riza with wide eyes.

"Ma'am is there something wrong? Are you okay?" Riza asked with concern. She didn't know what was going on with the woman but she was acting strange.

"Huh? Ah, yes. Everything's fine. Your room is the fifth one to the right when you go up the stairs. Please enjoy your stay." She smiled awkwardly and ushered her towards the stairs.

Riza decided to head upstairs and forget about what had just happened. She was too tired to think about anything right now. She just wanted to clean herself and sleep on a bed. However, she kept remembering the woman's sad eyes when they looked strait at her. Somehow it bothered her, as they seemed strangely familiar. But she just couldn't figure out where she had seen them before. She didn't even know the woman.

In her room, Riza took a quick hot shower with the bandages still covering her wound. After she was done, she tended as best as she could to her thigh. Taking out the bullet had almost made her faint a few times, but she had managed to bear the pain. If it had been in there any longer, it would have probably started to rust. She carefully disinfected it and wrapped it with a new bandage that she took from the first aid kit she found in one of the toilet's drawers.

Having no spare clothes, Riza had no choice but to sleep in her T-shirt and underwear. She hoped Roy would have thought of sending her some new clothes with the people tomorrow morning. It was only when she laid down in her bed that she realized in what condition she was in; her mind was tired and her body was exhausted. The pain was pulsating from her leg to the rest of her body and she felt her fever rise. In the end, the events of the previous day got the best of her and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A.N.: So here's the first chapter. I hope it made some of you curious as to what will happen next. Hehe. I'm going to try to make this a good story, so I'll be taking more time to think about the script. But it won't be a long one. So I hope you enjoy it. Please look forward to the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

A pounding headache woke Riza up from her slumber. Keeping her eyes closed, she was trying to concentrate on anything but her head. She immediately regretted that decision as she felt the pain from her leg, that came in waves, propagating throughout her body. Furthermore, she felt nauseous, mixed with cold shivers. She graded her condition to be, overall, very poor, if not, pitiful.

She quickly shut her eyes after trying to open them once, for, the sun was shining brightly in her room. She brought her hand up to cover her eyes and at the same time, trying to massage her headache away. She groaned lightly as she tried sitting up with much difficulty. However, she quickly laid back down on her side as her head spun and the nausea in the pit of her stomach threatened her. She clutched her head and stomach to try to ease the symptoms.

_Damn, what is wrong with me?_ That's when she realized something was stuck to her arm. _What the hell?_ Following the string, she saw a small plastic bag hung up beside her bed. She took a quick look around the room and confirmed it was the same room as she had come into the night before. But she didn't remember seeing the IV, nor did she remember administering it to herself.

Riza was aware that someone must've come into her room when she was asleep, but she was too tired and feeling sick to do anything about it. She felt horrible and she didn't know what to do.

As if to answer her prayers, she heard voices outside her room and saw the doorknob turning. Riza watched the door open with a mixture of emotions. She didn't know if she should be alert, afraid or relieved. The latter one washed over her as she saw Roy enter the room.

"I'll stay by her side until she wakes up. When she does, I want you to come see her right away." He said to someone before realizing she was awake and quietly staring at him. He saw her eyes wide with relief and her lips slightly quirked upwards.

"Hawkeye!" He rushed to her side. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright sir. Just a slight fever." Riza lied. She knew she would get reprimanded by him, so she tried to make things look better than it did, however she doubted it would work.

"Just a fever? You almost lost your leg! Do you know how dangerous of a situation you were in? If I hadn't come here in time you would've-"

"Calm down, General Mustang. Screaming at your subordinate is not the solution. She's confused, not to mention very sick and probably feeling horrible right now." The man Roy had been talking to walked closer to her bed and held out his hand. "I am Doctor Hatcher. I must say, you did a pretty dangerous thing yesterday, miss Hawkeye. Walking in a sewer with a open wound was not the brightest of ideas, not to mention the water was stagnated. Because of that, your wound was infected by a flesh eating bacteria and if it wouldn't have been treated properly, it could've propagated through the rest of your leg or more." He paused, making sure she was listening and understanding everything before continuing. "The IV in your arm right now contains a antibiotic that will control the spreading and kill the bacterias. Thank the General here for finding you in time. If not we might've had to amputate your leg. Now, I advise you to stay in bed and restrict your movements as much as you can. We don't want you to circulate the bacterias even more."

"Thank you Doctor Hatcher." Riza said in a low voice. She was feeling worse than ever before. Guilt washed over her as she knew she had worried and caused more trouble for the General. After all, he didn't need her to add even more pressure for him.

When the doctor left the room, all that was left was the silence between Roy and Riza. Riza was sitting up in her bed, looking down at her hands. She could feel his ominous gaze on her, but she avoided his eyes. After a while, she sighed a bit and glanced at him. He was, indeed, staring at her with an expecting and unhappy look.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know I shouldn't have did that." Riza said.

Roy's look didn't change and Riza was beginning to think he was more angry than she thought he was.

"Sir, I didn't mean to-" Riza started, but was cut off by Roy's loud exasperated sigh.

"I know you had no choice but to do what you did lieutenant. I'm just angry with the fact that you didn't treat yourself properly. You almost lost your leg, or even worst. I'm just glad that you're okay now." Roy smiled at her with relief and she smiled back.

But her smile was quickly replaced with a frown when she asked him with a dubious look, "But sir, what are you doing here in the first place? I thought you said you would send someone over."

"I did send someone: myself. I never told you I wouldn't come."

Roy looked away, pretending to be unaware of her glare.

"But sir, what about the situation in Ishbal? You're the General-"

"I know, I know. Don't worry, lieutenant. I got everything under control. Havoc's there to take care of things anyways. Just leave it to him!" Roy casually waved it off.

Riza couldn't believe his excuses. She glared at him with wide eyes and said, "Sir, you idiot! You should have stayed back there and taken care of the situation yourself."

"I know, I know, I'm an idiot. You weren't there to make me work so I came here. Are you hungry, lieutenant? I'll go get you something to eat." Before Riza could answer, Roy quickly left the room before she could scold him more.

Riza sighed and decided to let it slide. She knew he had come because he was worried. He was just that type of man, putting the lives of others before his own. He was just like her. Deep down, she felt happy that he cared enough about her to come all the way here.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Roy poked his head back in and said "By the way, your clothes are in that bag beside your bed. You should put some pants on."

It took a split second for Riza to realize what he had implied before she yanked her blanket closer to her. She saw him leave with a wide grin, while she was left behind with a flushed face.

A few moments later, she heard a light knock on her door.

"Come in," Riza answered.

It was the woman at the desk yesterday that came in carrying a tray with a steaming bowl on top. She quietly shut the door behind her while expertly maneuvering the tray on one arm.

"The General is is on the phone right now and asked me to bring something for you to eat. I hope you don't mind me bringing it to you?" She said as she gently placed the tray on the side table and helped Riza prop herself up better before setting it on her lap.

"Not at all, I really appreciate it." Riza hadn't eaten anything since last night so the bowl of hot soup was really comforting.

"Excuse me, can I ask you what time it is?" Riza knew it wasn't morning from the sun's position, but she didn't know what time.

"It's almost five." the woman answered nonchalantly. Riza's head shot up and she stared at the woman with wide eyes. Noting her expression, the woman continued, "General Mustang arrived at eight this morning. When we found you, he immediately called for a doctor. You've been asleep until now."

Riza's face relaxed and she stared down at her bowl. How could she have caused so much trouble for the General. And to think that he stayed all this time waiting by her side when he was so busy.

"You really had us worried." Riza looked up at the woman. She smiled gently at her, but Riza noticed her tired features and the bags under her eyes. Hadn't she slept the night before? If she had heard correctly, Roy had only gotten here at eight. She couldn't quite put the pieces together, but she hoped she wasn't the cause of her insomnia.

"I'm sorry to have worried you Mrs-"

"Lindor. Mrs Lindor." the woman completed her sentence.

Riza noticed how Mrs Lindor averted her eyes and pretended to look around the room. She couldn't quite understand this woman, but Riza couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity with her. While eating, she watched the woman scurry around her room, trying to find a reason to stay. Riza didn't mind the company. As a matter of fact, she was intrigued by her behavior and her own curiosity. Normally she would have been annoyed by someone with no apparent purpose loitering around her.

As Riza took a spoonful of soup into her mouth, Mrs Lindor asked, "So are you and the General a couple?" Riza felt the hot liquid go down the wrong hole and she coughed violently, trying to get it out. The woman rushed to her side and rubbed her back.

"N- no, we're not a couple. He's my superior officer. I'm his Lieutenant. We're in a platonic, friendly relationship. Why would you assume that?" Riza wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, but she knew that she had to deny that assumption.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I mean, I just thought you two were, because of how he acted and all. I just assumed. I'm sorry." She was nervously blabbering and laughing awkwardly.

Intrigued by her answer, Riza asked, "How he acted?"

"Oh yes, I haven't told you how we found you." She said before recounting Roy's arrival.

* * *

_Mrs Lindor was preparing breakfast for the few occupants and customers. This town had many early risers and a lot of them came to eat at her inn before heading to work. However, that morning she met someone she least expected to encounter._

_At eight, while she was putting some plates aside, she heard the door opening and the background noise dying. Surprised at the sudden silence, she looked up to see General Mustang standing near the front door in full uniform with a few men clad in military uniforms around him. Before she could react, her husband was already talking and shaking hands with the General._

"_What an honor to have you here General! How can I be of help to you?" Mr Lindor was shaking his hand vigorously._

"_I'm here to pick up my Lieutenant. I was told she stayed here for the night." Roy's face was calm, with a slight arrogant smirk._

"_Oh yes, there was a lady officer that came yesterday night." he looked around the room, then turned back to Roy and said, "I don't think she's awake yet, sir."_

_Mrs Lindor noted how his face frowned with a serious expression. Roy looked around, scanning the room, making sure the man had not made a mistake._

"_Where's her room. I have to go check up on her." Mr Lindor was startled by his sudden urgency and quickly made his way to the front desk where they kept spare keys to each room. Mrs Lindor rushed to her husband's side and grabbed his arm._

"_What are you doing! Did you see the state she was in yesterday? What if he's here to get her?" she whispered harshly, darting her eyes back and forth from Roy to her husband. He looked at her in surprise and realization._

_The couple walked slowly back to the General and asked warily, "May I inquire why you need to go to her room, sir? We're technically not allowed to barge into someone's room. It would be an invasion of someone's privacy."_

"_I know, but something is not right and I just need to know if she's alright. It's urgent. At least take me to her room, please." Mrs Lindor nudged her husband and they started their way up the stairs towards her room. She saw how Roy was irritated and his face left no place for stalling._

_When they arrived, Roy gently knocked on her door. With no answer, he knocked a second time with more force and called out her name._

"_Hawkeye! It's me. Are you alright? Open the door."_

_He stared at the door intently, listening for any noise. That's when Mrs Lindor noticed the frantic look in his eyes as he pounded on the door a few more times. Then he suddenly stopped and turned towards them._

"_Open the door." His authoritative voice left no place for a retort. But Mr Lindor didn't want to go against his convictions._

"_But sir, I don't think it's proper for us to-"_

"_Open the door now before I break it down!" Roy roared._

_Not wanting his door broken down, Mr Lindor gingerly opened the door that would have been opened either way. Before he could remove the key from the doorknob, Roy nudged him aside and rushed in._

_They saw her, lying on her bed facing the wall, away from them. Roy paused at the door, the suddenly bolted to her side._

"_Hawkeye! Hawkeye, wake up!" Recognizing the futility in calling her, he looked at them. "Call a doctor here immediately!" he barked._

_Mrs Lindor walked up behind Roy, who was clutching her head close to him and trying to call her. That was when she saw Riza's condition; pale, feverish and sweating intensively._

"_What happened to her? Why is she like this?" he agitatedly asked her._

"_I don't know. But yesterday she came looking in a really bad shape. I'm not sure if she was hurt or not." Roy was half listening to her and half trying to wake Riza up._

_Mrs Lindor looked around trying to figure out what she could do to help. When she saw something on the floor in the bathroom, she walked towards it. When she opened the door, she gasped loudly and froze in place. Roy rushed to her side._

"_The- there's blood! She was hurt! Oh my goodness!" Roy went in, leaving her in her frightened state. He picked up her pants and saw a hole. If one looked closely, you could see some blood washed away with dirty water._

"_She was shot. She tried to fix up her wound by herself." He said, almost to himself. She watched him leave the bathroom and go back to Riza. When he removed the blanket, she saw the bandage wrapped around her thigh._

"_Damn it, Riza. You said you were fine. Look at you." She heard him say to himself._

_Mrs Lindor stood behind him, transfixed, looking at Roy tending to her. She felt tears running down her cheeks. How could she have missed the wound? She felt utterly useless and didn't know what to do in this kind of situation. She wasn't used to anything like this. This was a small peaceful town where nothing this serious happened, at least not in her inn._

_Roy turned around when he heard her sniffle. He had a look of defeat and sighed._

"_Now's not the time to cry. She's not going to die. Can you get me some warm water and clean towels please?"_

_

* * *

_

"He didn't leave your side for a second. We even had to pry him away to get him to eat something. He cares a lot about you." Mrs Lindor said at the end of her story.

"Thank you for telling me about it. But," Riza looked down at her empty bowl, deep in thought. Then she looked back up at her with a small smile and said, "we're just friends. Longtime friends."

Their conversation was cut short by a knock on the door. Roy came in, catching his breath.

"Sorry for the wait. There was a call from Ishbal and I couldn't stall it. I see you've finished eating."

Roy's eyebrows raised in curiosity when both women looked at him amused expressions.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. Feel free to call me if you ever need anything." Mrs Lindor walked past him with the tray, flashing him another smile before she left. Roy looked back and forth, not understanding the situation.

"Thank you Roy." Riza said suddenly.

Roy head shot shot towards her. He couldn't hide the surprise on his face and Riza laughed inwardly. It wasn't often that she called him by his name. She used it when she allowed herself to be more intimate than a commanding officer and subordinate relationship, and only when they were alone.

"Huh? Ah, you're welcome Riza." Riza smiled at his wide grin and reddened ears.

She was truly thankful to him.

* * *

A.N.: Sorry for the long wait guys. Lot's of school work to do and exams are coming up. I only got to write this much. :( I wrote it pretty fast, so don't be surprised if there are errors. I hope you guys are intrigued by the story. The main part is yet to come. I think it's going to be reveiled in the next chapter. Here's a hint: Mrs Lindor.

Please leave me a review. I want to know if this is even good...


	3. Chapter 3

Riza woke up the next day from a quite knock on the door. Roy walked in quietly, carrying a tray with breakfast for both of them.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Roy asked her.

"It's fine. I don't want to sleep through the whole day again. What time is it now?" She asked in a groggy voice. She flinched while trying to sit up with much difficulty. Roy immediately steadied her and helped her up.

"Careful, you shouldn't be moving too much and you're probably still weak and drowsy from the medicine. It's nine o'clock right now. I brought you food because I thought you would be hungry."

"I am. Thank you sir." Riza didn't like being associated with the word 'weak'. It made her feel useless and frustrated. She really hoped she didn't have to be in bed rest for too long.

"You know, if you keep bringing food to your lieutenant like this, your subordinates will lose respect for you and look down on you," Riza added playfully.

"We'll see about that after I threaten them with my flame alchemy," Roy joked, which made Riza laugh lightly. It wasn't often that Roy was graced with her laughter, so when she did, he smiled widely and laughed with her.

A few minutes after they had eaten breakfast together, Dr Hatcher came by to check up on her.

"Good news! The infection is slowly but definitely retreating. We'll have to keep a close watch on it, so in the mean time you'll have to stay in bed and wait."

"Is there a way to accelerate the effects? Can you give a bigger dose or something?" Riza asked impatiently, clearly aggravated by the fact that the doctor had told her to stay in bed again.

"The antibiotic prescribed is already a high dose. If I were to increase the dose, there are chances that it could intoxicate you," the doctor replied.

"Then you'll just have to stay in bed and wait patiently lieutenant," Roy concluded.

"But sir, the chances of intoxication could be slim enough to-"

"No. I will not allow it. You are going to stay in bed and wait for it heal slowly. That's an order, Lieutenant." Roy said with a firm voice. Riza knew that it was no use trying to convince him after he had used that tone. She had figured out a long time ago that it was reserved for moments of great stubbornness.

With no other choice, Riza spent her second day in bed, very much against her will. Roy was busy with all his phone calls from all over Amestris, especially Ishbal. Watching him give out orders through the phone made her feel like a burden to him. She felt responsible for holding him back from his job and his responsibilities.

When he came back from a phone call to Ishbal, she said "Sir, it would be better if you returned first thing tomorrow morning. You have a lot of work to do and it's not helping that you're here right now."

"Nonsense Lieutenant. I can do my work from here." Roy waved it off.

"Sir, it's not good for your image. You have to go to Ishbal in person. You haven't been there in a long time because of the rebels. Now that the problem is resolved, you have to go there in person to inspect everything. This is a very important project," Riza insisted. Roy looked away and sighed. He knew very well that Riza was right. She was always right. But he didn't feel comfortable leaving without her, knowing she was still injured.

"I think a few more days won't hurt anyone. I can-"

"No." Roy flinched. "You have to go back there tomorrow. I'll be fine by myself here. I am perfectly able to take care of myself. When I can move, I'll come join you immediately." Roy grimaced and side glanced at her, only to look away after he saw her glare.

The next morning, Roy diligently headed back to Ishbal like Riza had told, more like forced, him to. The rest of the morning went by slowly. Now that Roy was gone, Riza was left alone to wait for the time to pass and she had never felt as bored and restless as she did that day.

Riza sighed for the thousandth time and looked out the window to a clear blue sky. Not only that she was not allowed to walk, she had to restrain her motions as much as she could. Riza thought, even after her infection was healed, she didn't know how efficient she could be at work since she had a bullet wound in her thigh. Hopefully, the General wouldn't make her stay in bed until the wound completely healed. Riza would die of boredom before that happened.

Since Roy had been promoted to a General, they had jumped into this project right away without a moment of hesitation. Riza couldn't remember the last time she took a day off from work. Everything had been hectic since the fight against Father. The whole military was rebuilding its system, the city was under reconstruction and they were in charge of the reconstruction of Ishbal. It was a whole new turn in history and one for the better, so everyone was putting all their energy and might into it.

"Hi darling, I brought you lunch."

Mrs Lindor came in with a tray. Riza had been so deep in her thoughts that she had been oblivious to her presence.

"I tried knocking but you wouldn't answer so I just came in. You had me worried for a second." Mrs Lindor smiled softly. "You seemed to be lost in your thoughts."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just haven't had the time to think lately and I guess I was a little too distracted." Riza answered embarrassingly. It didn't happen often that she would get caught by surprise, even when she was sleeping.

"It's alright dear, everyone's mind wanders off from time to time. Were you thinking of something good?"

Riza looked at her in confusion.

"You looked peaceful with a smile on when I came in. I just thought that maybe you were reminiscing on some good memories."

"Yes, indeed, I was." Riza looked down at her hands with a faraway look.

"With the General?"

Riza whipped her head back up.

"Huh? No, I mean- What?" She stumbled through her word, with a light pink hue on her cheeks.

Mrs Lindor chuckled and Riza looked back down.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just that you two seem really close and I know he really cares about you. Before he left, he asked me to take good care of you and not let you leave until you got permission from the doctor."

"He what?" Riza sighed in frustration. Now it would be even harder for her to go back.

"Now, now, don't be like that. You know he's doing it for your own good." Mrs Lindor told her calmy.

"I know, it's just that I don't feel assured when I'm not by his side. I want to go back there as soon as I can."

"How long have you two known each other?"

Riza looked at her, surprised by the sudden inquiry. Mrs Lindor didn't seem to think she was intruding, but strangely, Riza didn't feel offended either.

"Over ten years now. We've known each other since we were kids." Mrs Lindor was silently listening and since she didn't make a move to speak, Riza continued, "He came to study alchemy from my father and stayed at our house. Then, when we were both in the military, we worked together, until now."

Riza chuckled in her head at her short, two sentence, summary of her relationship with Roy. But she didn't want to give unnecessary information to an outsider either.

"When did you join the military" Mrs Lindor asked.

"I joined the military academy at seventeen and became a soldier at eighteen." Riza stated like it was a normal thing to say.

"What! Seventeen! What did your father say?" Mrs Lindor burst out.

Riza was taken aback by the woman's sudden agitation. At first, Riza was confused, then she frowned and said calmly, "He was already dead."

The woman sitting next to her bed gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Riza noticed how her reactions were far more exaggerated than most people's when they heard about her story, not that there were much people to compare her to to begin with.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I shouldn't have asked." Mrs Lindor rambled.

"It's alright, it happened a long time ago."

Riza sat there watching her, more like scrutinizing the poor woman. Mrs Lindor fumbled in her chair, avoiding Riza's piercing stare.

"Oh, right! You must be hungry. Here." She handed Riza the tray and stood up. "Well, I have a lot of things to do so I'll let you eat and I'll come by later."

Riza nodded and watched her leave quickly. Riza's mind was working as fast as it could to understand what had just happened. She found it odd, very odd, the way Mrs Lindor panicked and left so hastily. But what bothered her the most was the fact that she precisely asked about her father's opinion. Normally one would ask about her parents, not just her father.

The truth was, Riza didn't know much about her parents. Her mother died when she was young and her father was very reserved and secretive. Her father never spoke to her about himself or his family and friends. Hell, he was barely a father figure for her, cooped up in his office all day. Riza wondered if Mrs Lindor knew her father. Even though her relationship with him was not a normal one for a father and daughter, it didn't stop her from wanting to be closer to him, to know more about her family.

With this hopeful thought, she found herself thirsty for information. She might as well try to pry some information from Mrs Lindor now that she had nothing better to do. And when Riza put all her effort into getting something, she always did.

A few hours later, she expected to see Mrs Lindor come in the room after a soft knock on her door, but instead, it was a young man.

"Hi, I'm Marc Lindor. The son of this inn's owners. My mother told me to come check up on you, see if you needed anything." He was tall and broad shouldered like his father, short brown hair and handsome features. He was smiling brightly at her, expecting a response.

"Hi, I'm Riza Hawkeye. It's a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand and he actively shook it. Riza handed him the tray that was left on the side table, then asked, "Well, I was wondering if you could bring me some books to read. Anything would do. It's awfully boring without anything to do to pass the time."

"Of course, I know what you mean. I have some great books I think you would like. I'll go get them immediately." He bolted out of the door before Riza could thank him. She blinked a few times and smiled.

A few minutes later, he came back with a big pile of books and carefully placed them on her night table.

"Thank you very much Marc. I really appreciate it. But you didn't have to run to get them immediately, I could have waited." Riza smiled sympathetically, feeling bad for making him run around like that.

"Oh no, it was no problem. It's my pleasure."

Marc stayed and gave short summaries for each book. He seemed to really enjoy himself, telling each book's story and recommending most of them to her.

"You really like to read don't you?" Riza asked him after she had picked one to read.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, I read a lot. But it's just a hobby. I only like storybook, so my dad gets mad at me because I don't really like studying. He wants me to study business and management so I can help him run the Inn."

"Do you like business?"

"It's not that I dislike it or anything. I just don't have a passion for it."

"Then what do you want to be?"

Marc stopped to think a bit. "I don't know. But at one point, I wanted to join the army, but I know my parents would never allow me to." Then hesitantly, he added, "You're in the military right? The whole town heard of General Mustang coming to visit you! Do you work for him?"

Riza smiled, seeing Marc's face light up. "Yes, I'm a First Lieutenant and the General's aide and bodyguard."

"Wow! I never would have thought that you had such an important position seeing that you look so young. When did you join the military?" Marc asked more questions.

"I joined when I was seventeen, so it took a long time to reach where I am today. But you're still young, you shouldn't make decisions without considering the consequences. It's a very dangerous job." Riza warned him.

"I'm not that young. I'm nineteen, older than you were when you joined. I want to be like the general, doing good things for the people, being able to help you know." Marc said with determination. But it seemed more like he was trying to convince Riza.

"Being in the military is not as good as it seems. The general didn't always do good things for the people. We all went through bad times and did things against our wills. There are many different ways to help people. It doesn't have to be through the military. And again, only when you have power and influence can you make a difference, can your voice be heard. If you join now, it'll take you years until you can get a somewhat respectable rank if you're just a regular soldier."

Marc stared at her with his mouth open. Normally, when you told someone about your goals, the other person would respond with encouragement. But Riza, on the other hand, had completely destroyed his idea of the military.

"I'm not telling you not to join. I'm just making sure you know what you're getting yourself into, so you know the reality of things if you decide to join and not some made up fantasy. I didn't get any of that and threw myself into a mess I never knew I would get caught up in."

"Do you regret it?" Marc asked like a child listening to a story and hoping for a good ending.

"There were many times that I did, but when I truly think about it, I couldn't have imagined my life any other way. So, no, I don't regret it. I chose this path and I decided to walk down it."

Marc was deep in thoughts. Riza looked at him with concern, hoping she hadn't gone too far and crushed his dreams.

"Marc-" She said quietly, but he suddenly looked up at her and asked, "What did your parents say when you decided to join?"

She paused. This was the first time she had told her story to so many people in such a short period of time. And two people was a lot for Riza. Marc seemed so desperate to hear her answer that she couldn't privatize it from him.

"My parents weren't alive anymore so I wouldn't know."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Marc looked dejected. Not only did he feel bad for asking the question, but he also didn't get an answer that could help him.

"It's alright, it happened a long time ago," was what Riza said every time she was faced with that response. She didn't want to tell others that she didn't feel anything because she couldn't remember her mother or that she barely had affection towards her father.

That night, it was Marc that brought her supper and even at that, he didn't stay long since it was a pretty busy night. Riza didn't mind the solitude, she actually preferred it. She read in peace until she was tired and went to bed.

"_Mommy, what are you making?"_

_A woman turned around holding a baking tray in her hands and lowered it so the little girl could see._

"_Mommy's making ginger bread cookies. Do you want to help me decorate them honey?"_

"_Yes!" _

_Both mother and child went to sit at the kitchen table._

"_We have to put pink sparkles and put the icing to make a dress!"_

"_Now, now Riza. We have to make a ginger bread man too, for daddy."_

Riza's eyes flew open as she gasped and clutched her blanket. She looked around the room, breathing heavily and sweating. She recognized her room in the inn from the dim moonlight passing through the curtains and tried to calm herself down. _What was that?_

_

* * *

_A.N: Sorry for the very long wait everyone... well more like the few people who are actually reading it. I was really busy in school and still am. I managed to write a bit today and hopefully I can write more and post sooner next time. Well, I hope you guys like this chapter. Sorry it's kinda short...

Please leave a review, it's actually a reminder for me to write more chapters because I see the reviews pop up in my email! Lol.

See you next time,

D


	4. Chapter 4

_What was that?_

Riza raised her hand to her forehead and wiped away the sweat. She stared at the ceiling, breathing slowly and reflecting on her dream. She couldn't remember the last time she had a dream of her mother and when she did, she could never see her mother's face. She had long forgotten her face, since she had died when Riza was only four years old. In the beginning, her father had tried his best to look after her, to attend to all her needs and to bring her up properly. But slowly, his mental health had deteriorated and he became obsessed with his research, leaving Riza to fend for herself. Her father had burned all of her mother's pictures when she had died and whenever Riza would ask about her, he would ignore her. She had never gotten to know her mother and it had always been one of her biggest regret.

Now, Riza wondered why she was having this dream. There was no logical explanation to this. Deep down inside, Riza longed to know her mother, to have a mother. Finally, she willed herself to forget it and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next time she woke up was when she heard a knock on her door. After gaining permission, Dr Hatcher walked in.

"Good morning miss Hawkeye. I'm sorry if I woke you up," he said.

"It's not a problem doctor. It was my time to wake up anyways." Riza answered quickly.

Dr Hatcher did his usual routine, taking her pressure, listening to her heart and checked the infection and the wound. Riza waited patiently this time, knowing all too well that he didn't have a control over her progress.

"Good news miss Hawkeye. The infection seems to have died down and it's safe for you to move around. But you still have to be careful with your wound. Don't strain yourself if you feel it's too painful to walk. I brought you a spare crutch from my office, so feel free to use it."

"Thank you very much for everything Dr Hatcher. I can get back to work now right?"

"I wouldn't recommend that. Although the wound to your thigh didn't hit your bone or a major artery, it's still a flesh wound that need proper healing. Don't go over the limit and give it a few more days."

Riza sighed. _One thing after another_, she thought.

"Alright, but I can at least walk around now right?" She asked.

"Yes, if you can."

When the doctor left, Riza attempted to push herself out of bed, but it proved to be more difficult than she thought. After three whole days stuck in bed, without moving much, her body ached everywhere. Lifting her legs out of bed made her cringe at the sting from the wound. She was sitting on the side of her bed with her feet on the cool floor, stretching her back and arms. Using the crutch the doctor had given her, she hoisted herself up, stumbled a few steps before she could steady herself.

Satisfied with her condition, she walked slowly towards the door and opened it. There was no one in the hallway but she could hear loud noises coming from downstairs. She walked with towards the stairs and descended with much effort.

When she appeared from the stairs, Marc was the first one to see her. He was busy with plates in his arms, serving breakfast to the customers.

"Miss Hawkeye! What are you doing out of bed? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Marc put everything down and rushed towards her.

"No, no, I'm fine. I got permission from the doctor to move around so I came downstairs to get a change of scenery."

By now, a lot of people were looking towards them and talking about her. Although they tried speaking softly and discretely, Riza couldn't help overhearing them because of her good hearing. She limped with her crutch towards the counter and took a seat on the stool.

"Well well, it's good to see you up and walking Lieutenant!" Mr Lindor said in his loud voice. He was behind the counter pouring water and juice into cups for the customers.

"Yes, it's much better than being cooped up in that room all day." Riza said politely.

"How about some breakfast Lieutenant? My wife's in the back cooking right now and let me tell you, she makes the best omelets."

Riza agreed to try an omelet and Mr Lindor went in the back to inform his wife. Riza looked around the room and saw a lot of people eating and chatting happily. She noticed another girl helping out Marc that looked younger, but had some similar features as him. _Must be his sister,_ she thought, although she wasn't sure if he had any siblings.

When Mr Lindor came back a few minutes later with her omelet, Riza asked him if the girl was his daughter.

"Yes she is. Her name is Marilyn. She's seventeen," he answered her.

"I see. How long have you lived in this town?" Riza asked.

"We moved here about twenty one years ago. I came here with my wife, although at that time she was still my girlfriend, and we got married and opened up this inn. Since then, we've been living happily with our children and everyone in town."

_Twenty one years ago? I must've been around five or six,_ Riza thought.

"Thank you for telling me that. And you were right, this omelet is great." She smiled softly and continued, "I was wondering if it would be okay if I sent you some money later for the rent, the food and the doctor's bill. It's just that I didn't bring enough money with me when I came, so-"

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about Miss Hawkeye! The payment's been taken care of by the general." Mr Lindor laughed at the look that crossed her face.

"What? How? When did he pay for this?" Riza asked quickly.

"Right before he left. He really overpaid your stay though. The sum is enough for you to stay two weeks here, food and doctor included!" Mr Lindor chuckled again, seeing Riza's slightly gaping mouth.

Riza would have never thought that Roy would remember such a thing. In addition to the fact that he secretly paid without telling her. She sighed and quickly finished her omelet. She would have to thank him again for helping her out. She was disappointed in herself for being so dependent on him this time. After all, she was used to being completely independent and prepared at all times.

After the morning rush hour had passed, Marc insisted on giving her a quick tour of the town. They took a leisurely walk around town, which made Riza very thankful she could finally get out to get some fresh air. Everyone they met greeted her cheerfully and all asked her about her health. News travelled fast in a small town, especially if the news was as exciting as a high ranking, good looking military officer coming to town.

After half an hour, Riza was already feeling exhausted and her leg was beginning to throb, so they headed back to the inn. She wanted to head back to her room to rest, but decided to give a call to Roy before going up.

Riza waited four rings before someone picked up the phone.

"General Mustang speaking." His voice sounded tired, which made Riza frown in worry.

"Sir, it's Lieutenant Hawkeye." Before she had the chance to say anything more, Roy spoke.

"Lieutenant! You're up! You're calling me!" His voice perked up enthusiastically.

"Yes sir, I'm up and I'm calling you." She stated it with a hint of humour. She knew he was just excited to hear from her and didn't really think before he spoke.

"That's good to hear. Are you able to walk around properly? Are you sure it's safe? The doctor gave you permission, right? When are you planning to come back?" Roy questioned her.

"Yes sir, I got the doctor's permission. He says it's alright for me to move around because the infection died down. I just have to be careful not to reopen the wound. I might be able to come back in two or three days, but I'm afraid I wont be at my best performance." Riza answered calmly.

"I'm glad your recovery is going smoothly. Make sure you get plenty of rest. Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?"

"No, I'll find a ride to the nearest town with a train station, then I'll go strait to Ishbal. Don't send anybody, especially not yourself. How are things going in Ishbal?" Riza asked.

"There's always work to be done. I barely get any time to take a break. But things are proceeding well." Roy said with a sigh.

"Make sure you get some rest too sir. It wouldn't be good if you were to collapse."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'll make sure to rest properly. And you make sure to come back soon. I could use an extra pair of hands."

Riza smiled, knowing he was doing the same thing on the other side.

"I'll do my best. Get some rest General."

"Same to you Lieutenant."

Riza put the phone down gently.

"Was that General Mustang?" Marilyn was leaning on the counter with her head between her hand, smiling mischievously at Riza.

"Ah, yes it was." Riza suppressed the heat going up to her face so the girl wouldn't tease her even more.

"I know. You were smiling when you put down the phone." She stood up, still with the same look on her face. "I'm Marilyn by the way. You've met my parents and my brother Marc, right?"

"Yes I have. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Riza Hawkeye."

Riza held out her hand, which Marilyn gladly shook. She took a seat beside Riza and approached herself. Riza backed away slightly, wary of the glint in her eyes.

"So, what's your relationship with Roy Mustang?" Marilyn stared intensely at Riza, demanding an answer.

"He's my superior officer and a good friend."

"What? That's it? I don't believe you. Why would such a high ranking, extremely hot, smart and rich military officer like him visit a subordinate that's just working for him. He's definitely got something for you!"

Riza just stared at her uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.

"Don't tell me you're not attracted to him one bit? Any girl would die to be in your place! Did you see how worried he was for you and how he took care of you? I thought he was your boyfriend or something! All my friends are asking me about you two. Wait, is it because you just started working for him?" Marilyn asked frantically.

"No, I've been working for him for almost ten years now." Riza look away, knowing full well how the young girl would react.

"What! Ten years! What have you two been doing? I can tell by one look that you both like each other. You're in denial!" She bursted out.

"Can we please stop talking about this. We're really not in any kind of romantic relationship." Riza really wanted her to stop before she accidentally revealed anything.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I got carried away. It's just that since you came, all my friends have been pestering me and I just wanted to know some things. I'm sorry for being so nosy." Marilyn backed away and smiled sheepishly. She was bowing her head and looking away.

"It's alright. As long as you don't start any false rumours."

"Oh I promise I won't! I would never do such a thing." She was waving her hands up defensively.

"Thanks. Can I ask you something?"

"Yes of course" Marilyn chirped.

"I haven't seen your mother since yesterday. I was just wondering where she went," Riza said.

"Well, she's been staying in the kitchen since yesterday. Now that I think about it, she's been really weird lately. In the last few days, she's been lost in her thoughts and did things clumsily, which is really not like my mom. I'm sure she's thinking too much about some random thing. Oh yeah, and she was always insisting on bringing you the meals and going to check up on you. I don't know why she suddenly stopped. But don't worry, Marc and I can bring you food and other things whenever you need it."

"Thank you" Riza said.

Ever since their last conversation, Riza had wanted to speak to her again about her father. Mrs Lindor seemed to know something and Riza's curiosity making her impatient.

Riza spent her afternoon reading the books Marc had lent her. She was sitting in bed resting her leg from the day's walk. It was only at night, when she heard the lounge downstairs getting louder that she decided to go down and herself something to eat too.

Once again, she ate what Mr Lindor recommended as being his wife's best dish, ratatouille. The evening passed quickly as she ate slowly and observed everyone in the room. Riza was the type of person to stay quiet on the side and watch everyone else. She had gotten used to reading peoples lips and could make out bits and pieces of their conversations.

When the night started to quiet down, she decided to look for Mrs Lindor. She looked around, seeing Marc and Marilyn cleaning up some tables, and walked towards the doors to the kitchen. Right when she was about to push it open, she stopped and listened.

* * *

There were loud noises of plates and other kitchen utensils falling on the floor.

Once again, Mrs Lindor had dropped something. She bent down to pick it up, when her husband suddenly yanked her arm and made her stand up.

"Don't pick it up with your hands. You'll hurt yourself." He said with a frown. He quickly went to get a broom, while Mrs Lindor stood there almost in a daze.

"What's wrong with you? You've been like that for almost two days now." Mr Lindor asked with a worried look.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking." She answered casually.

"Just thinking? Well it's making you unable to do anything else." He held onto her shoulders and looked at her in the face, "Tell me, what's wrong."

She stared at him, then collapsed and started crying with loud sobs. Her husband caught her and eased her to the floor and rubbed her back to soothe her.

"It's going to be alright honey. Forget about what you've been thinking of."

"No! It's not alright! I'm a horrible person!" She managed to cry out between her sobs. "I left her all alone. I thought she would be okay, because she had her father. He was a good father."

"Honey, what are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? My little girl. She's my daughter." She looked at him in the eye, trying to see if he understood. Seeing that he wasn't going to talk, she continued, "I named her Elizabeth, Elizabeth Hawkeye."

"Are you talking about Lieutenant Hawkeye? How can you be so sure? She could be anyone. Just because she has the same last name doesn't mean she's Elizabeth." He tried reassuring her.

"I'm her mother! I gave birth to her! You don't think a mother can recognize her own child? I'm sure it's her. What do I do? What if she finds out? What if she hates me?" She was now panicking, looking at her husband, desperately hoping for an answer.

Mr Lindor kept quiet. Just like her, he wasn't sure what could be done. It was partly his fault that it ended up this way, so how could he possibly try to speak to her about this issue.

"Just, I don't know, maybe just don't say anything. She'll be leaving soon anyways and-"

"Don't say anything? Ever since I left, not one day has passed without me thinking about her? Now that she's here, you want me to ignore her? I can't! I can't do that!"

"Then what do you want to do? Don't look at me like that? It's your decision in the end anyways!" Mr Lindor bursted out.

Mrs Lindor stared at him wide-eyed, surprised at the outburst. Then she glared at him and said in an angry tone, "Don't think you have nothing to do with this. We came here together. I came here with you and left my daughter behind. You knew that! So don't think you have nothing to do with this." Silent tears leaked down her face as she maintained eye contact.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to do either. I guess I'm a little afraid too." He hugged her for a long time.

Both their heads snapped up when they heard someone speaking near the door.

"Miss Hawkeye, are you alright. You've been standing there for a while now." The faint voice of Marc said.

"Ah, I just wanted to return my plate." She said in an even lower voice after a while.

"Oh you didn't need to do that. It's our job! I'll take that for you."

"Thank you. I'll head back to my room now."

They heard her walk quickly away from the other side of the door and up the stairs.

Mrs Lindor's eyes were wide with fear. She stood up and rushed for the door.

"Elizabe-"

"Don't!" Mr Lindor grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Let go! I have to go see her! She heard us!" She tried to release her arm from his firm grip.

"You can't! Listen to me! It's better to give her some time. If she did hear us, then she'll need some time to think it over. If she did hear us, then she'll come back for some answers and explanation. Give her some space. She probably needs it. Wait for her to be ready."

Mrs Lindor stopped resisting and cried silently beside her husband.

* * *

A.N.: Wow, I'm sorry for the long wait guys. Well here's the latest chapter. I don't know if it's any good. I did it kinda fast so there might be some mistakes. Sorry about that. I'm actually planning to write a oneshot... We'll see how that goes. I'm not going to abandon this story though. :)

Please leave a review.

See you next time.

D


	5. Chapter 5

Riza half limped to her room as quickly as she could, afraid that somebody would catch her before she could run away. When she got in her room and locked the door behind her, she fell on her bed, face down on her pillow. She stayed that way for a while before she had to flip on her back to breathe easier. Riza's mind was running all over the place and she didn't know what was going on anymore. Nothing made sense to her, at least not from what she remembered.

"What is she talking about?" she whispered to herself.

When Riza was five, her mother passed away and her father took care of her. At least, that's what she remembered. Hearing an unknown lady frantically saying that she was her mother was absolutely ridiculous.

Riza shut her eyes and shook her head before turning to her side. She tried to forget about what she had just heard, but it proved to be harder than it seemed.

_If she was my mother, IF, then that would mean she had a child two or three years after she left? _Riza reasoned, considering that Marc was nineteen. _This is ridiculous. She can't be my mother. My mother died when I was five._

For the rest of the night, Riza struggled to keep such thoughts at bay so she could fall asleep. However, as much as she wanted to forget about it, a dreadful feeling inside of her kept making her think about it. That night, Riza fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Riza woke up feeling more tired than ever. She sat on the side of her bed and stared at the wooden floor. Yesterday's episode ran through her mind again and again, and she was debating whether or not she should confront Mrs Lindor about the issue. She was inwardly afraid of hearing the answer coming out of her mouth but she had to know. She wanted to know why Mrs Lindor had said those words.

_I'm probably leaving in a day or two,_ she thought, _it's now or never._ Riza got up, dressed herself and prepared to go downstairs. Marc and Marilyn were serving customers like usual and Mr Lindor was near the bar counter. She walked up to him and directly asked, "Where is Mrs Lindor?"

Mr Lindor gulped slightly and pointed towards the kitchen door. Not only was he afraid of the outcome, but the look she gave him was frightening enough to shut any man up. Riza had a determined look on her face, the one she wore at work when she was busy and didn't want to be bothered.

She walked, or more like stalked, towards the kitchen. Upon opening the door, Mrs Lindor jumped and looked in her direction. With a quick glance at Riza, she quickly avoided her eyes and looked away. Seeing that Mrs Lindor wasn't planning on doing anything, Riza took the initiative and walked closer to her.

"I believe you owe me some explanations Mrs Lindor," Riza said in her soldier tone. Mrs Lindor flinched ever so slightly at her blunt words, but she couldn't blame her for being angry.

"So you heard our conversation yesterday," Mr Lindor said slowly, not knowing how to start.

"That is affirmative," Riza replied instantly. She was trying to keep her composure in front Mrs Lindor so that her emotions would stay concealed.

"Well," Mrs Lindor continued hesitantly, "it's as you heard. I'm your mo-"

"Stop. I believe you're mistaking yourself. My mother passed away when I was five years old. I don't know how you came to that conclusion, but I assure you that you are wrong." Riza interrupted her.

It was now Mrs Lindor's turn to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Riza, is that what you've been told? That I've died? Don't you remember me? That day, when I left, I woke you up and talked to you in your room. I wanted to take you with me but you didn't want to come. You cried and struggled against me. You wanted to stay with your dad."

Mrs Lindor stopped and watched as her daughter's demeanor changed from a solid poker face to one of disbelief. Riza's eyes were darting back in forth, lost in her thoughts. Memories were rushing back and forth, confusing her even more.

"Riza, I wanted to take you with me, but you were getting too loud so I had to leave before your father found out about it. I had no choice. I'm so sorry. I never stopped regretting that day when I had to leave you there."

Riza looked up at her with a sad glare. Her eyes were red, as she was trying to hold back some tears. Seeing her daughter in so much pain, Mrs Lindor reached up to hold her, but Riza slapped her hand away. Riza was breathing a bit more heavily as she was preparing her speech. She felt her anger rise within her and was at the borderline of exploding.

"Sorry? I was five. Do you think I understood what you meant when you said you were leaving? Did you ever stop to think that I wasn't making the best decision for myself? You abandoned me. A five years old doesn't know better than to want to be with her family. Of course I wanted to stay with father. He was at home, I was at home and I thought you would surely come back home. It's normal for a child to cry and throw a tantrum early in the morning! Because of you, I grew up without a mother. At school, I kept seeing all the other kids having their mother pack them lunches or pick them up from school; something that I didn't have. Because of you, father lived like the dead and eventually got sick and died. All my life I had to fend for myself with nobody to care for me. I had to raise myself!" Riza was breathing heavily. She hadn't even realized that she had let out all her pent up anger. Near the end, she had practically been screaming.

They both stayed silent for a while, Riza catching her breath and Mrs Lindor looking at her with tears streaming down her face.

"Riza, I'm so sorry. I-"

"Don't. You're not my mother. My mother died a long time ago."

Without another word, Riza turned around and walked out the kitchen. Glancing around the lounge, nobody seemed to notice what had just happened. It was fairly loud enough that her voice from the kitchen had not been heard.

"Umm, do you want some breakfast, Miss Riza?" Mr Lindor asked cautiously.

The response he received from her was a cold glare. Riza went back to her room and locked the door behind her.

She leaned her back against the door and slowly slid to the floor. Riza stared into space as she tried to process what had just happened. If she had to explain what she was feeling at the moment in one word, it would be shock. She was shocked at her own behavior, the outburst that she had just displayed. Riza was not a person to lose control of her emotions. She was also shocked at eveything Mrs Lindor had said. She didn't want to believe anything that came out of her mouth, but she couldn't deny the truth either.

Thinking deeply, Riza could make out bits and pieces of her memories. She remembered the loneliness and sadness she experienced after her mother's disappearance. Her father kept telling her that she had passed away and that she would no longer see her mother. As cruel as it may seem, it was the only thing her father could tell her to force her to move on and stop waiting by the window. She was shocked at herself for forgetting such an important memory. Was it the pain of knowing that one had been abandoned or was it just a slip of the mind that she had forgotten such a moment?

Suddenly feeling hot tears streaming down her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, not knowing when they had started flowing.

Riza lifted herself up, grunting at the flash of pain coming from her thigh and went to lie down on her bed. She was no longer in the mood to eat or to read. She just wanted to lie down and get lost in her memories.

* * *

Time was passing by quickly as Riza laid there watching the sun rise and slowly starting to set. The room was now getting dark, but she didn't bother to turn on the lights. The clock on the wall told her it was a quarter to six. Riza was starting to feel hungry, but she didn't have the strength to go downstairs and eat.

Riza sighed heavily. Even after all that thinking, she still didn't know the reason her mother had left them. She wanted an answer, but at the same time, she didn't feel like confronting Mrs Lindor again. She was afraid her anger would get out of control like last time.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door. Riza stared at it, not bothering to move or to answer. After a few seconds of silence, she heard Mrs Lindor's soft voice through the door.

"Riza, it's me. You haven't eaten all day. You need food to fully recover. Can you open the door, please?"

Riza looked away, still silent. _Why is she pretending to care? If you abandon a child, you stick to it to the end._

"I know you're mad at me and you have the right to be. The food is just an excuse for me to talk to you. I owe you an explanation for what happened when I left. Could you please open the door? I need to talk to you."

Again, Riza remained silent.

"Please, Riza. I need to at least explain things to you."

Mrs Lindor was about to give up, when she heard Riza light footsteps coming towards the door. She opened the door ever so slowly and went back to sit on her bed. Mrs Lindor hesitantly stepped in, put the tray of food on the table nearby and closed the door. She stood there, not saying anything, just looking at Riza, who was staring at the floor.

"Why did you leave?" Riza sudenly broke the silence, startling Mrs Lindor. Her eyes remained glued to the floor.

"When I met your father, he was a gentle, kind and caring man. We loved each other very much and quickly got married. After a year of marriage, I got pregnant with you. Your father was very excited, spoiling me with everything I was craving and making sure I was always comfortable. But after you were born, he began to spend more time in his office doing his alchemy research. He said that he needed to make a new discovery so that he could make some money and support the family. He was looking into the future for you and for me. But he was slowly being consumed by it and he would stay in there for days without even coming out. It was hard on my. The man I had fallen in love with was replaced by a cold man, obsessed by achemy. Our money was running low, so I had to fin a job in town. That when I met my current husband. He knew of my situation and helped me any he could. He's a really sweet man and one day I realized that I had fallen for him. Of course at first I ignored it, I was a married woman after all. But I couldn't deny the fact that I was so very happy with him. At home, your father made me feel lonely and sad." Mrs Lindor looked at Riza, making sure she was still listening, "So I decided to leave your father with the man I am now happily married to. Try to understand it from my point of view, Riza. It wasn't a decision I made overnight. I thought long and hard about it. Each time I wanted to leave, I stopped myself because of you. I wanted you to have a family. But I was also slowly dying in there. There was no hope for me to ever see the man I had once fallen in love with. I had no choice but to leave."

After her long speech, Mrs Lindor looked at Riza with expectations. But Riza had not moved a muscle from where she had first sat down. Her head was cast downwards, so Mrs Lindor couldn't tell what was going through Riza's mind, but she waited patiently, giving her all the time she needed to think.

"I understand," Riza said in an almost inaudible voice, "but it doesn't mean that I have forgiven you for what you did. I understand that you couldn't live in that house anymore and that you felt you needed to leave because you were dying in there. You saved yourself, but abandoned me in that house. I was the one that took on the burden of living in that house. You saved yourself and left me to fend for myself in a place that even you couldn't survive in. How could I, a five year old child, do something that you couldn't?"

As she asked that question, Riza's eyes were locked on Mrs Lindor's. But Riza was calm and steady. No emotions were displayed on her face.

"There were times when I thought of leaving the house myself. But I couldn't bring myself to leave my sick father, who depended on me. He was the only family member I had left. It wouldn't been too cruel for me to do such a thing, so I persevered. When you married him, you exchanged vows and promised to stick with each other through hard times. You gave up too quickly. You gave up on us too quickly. And for that, I can't forgive you."

Mrs Lindor looked away, crying silently. Everything her daughter had said was true. She was a coward and couldn't keep her promise to the first man she ever loved.

"I suppose Marc and Marilyn don't know about this. Let's pretend nothing ever happened and keep this matter a secret from them. Tell your husband to never talk about this either," Riza concluded.

Mrs Lindor looked at her with wide eyes, but nodded stiffly to her decision. She couldn't blame her for not wanting to make amends with her, to accept her as her mother. She had betrayed her daughter's trust and was now receiving the consequences.

* * *

Riza was up early the next day, with all her belongings packed in the small bag Roy had brought her last time. She was still limping slightly, but she somewhat managed to walk without a crutch. There was a taxi waiting for her downstairs as she was saying her goodbyes to everyone.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality. Marc, thank you for lending me your books, although I didn't get to read all of them. I left them on the nightstand in my room," Riza said.

"I'm going to miss you. It's not often that someone with the same reading taste as me comes along. Make sure to drop by whenever you have the chance. You'll always be welcomed here," said Marc enthusiastically.

"And when you do some, make sure you bring your boyfriend!" Marilyn chirped in, grinning and hinting with her eyebrows.

Riza smiled at her, then turned towards Mr and Mrs Lindor. She held out her hand for a hangshake and said in a monotone voice, "Thank you for eveything."

They had hesitant and sad smiles on their faces as they shook her hand. Riza then turned around and got into the car without another word. As the car drove off to the nearest train station, the Lindor family could be seen waving their arms in a last goodbye.

Mr Lindor put his hand on his wife's shoulder, who was trying very hard to hold back her tears. She was watching her daughter leave with a bitter heart and it pained her to know that she would never be forgiven.

"Goodbye Riza," she whispered to herself.

END

* * *

A.N.: Finish! I tried to end it in a way that made Riza really cool, lol. But it didn't end up the way I had hoped it to be... I hope you guys liked this story. I personally liked my first story better. Thanks to all the readers who read my story and left reviews. I know I'm slow at updating, but at least I finished it. If you're dissatisfied by the ending, worry not. There will be an epilogue! A very short one that will conclude everything. look forward to it. Actually it may be posted very soon.

I'm also working on a oneshot, so please look forward to that too :)

D


	6. Epilogue

It has been a few years since Riza had come to the Lindor's Inn. Everyday, Mrs Lindor would think about her dear daughter, wondering if she was alright, if her anger had died down. Even after two years, she could still recall every word of the conversation they had in her room and everyday that passed made her feel even more guilty.

She was wiping the bar counter in slow continuous circles and sighed. Her husband, not far from her, watched silently as she stared into space and continued wiping the same spot she had been wiping for the last ten minutes.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when the mailman came in and cheerfully handed her her daily mails. Mrs Lindor thanked him absentmindedly and began looking through the mails, searching for something other than the bills. Her hands stopped as she fell upon a letter that had a neat cursive handwriting of her address on it.

Curious to know who could have sent it, she carefully opened the letter and read the card that was in it.

Mr Lindor heard his wife gasp and looked at her to see what had happened. She had one hand covering her mouth and tears were threatening to fall down. He quickly rushed towards her.

"What wrong darling?" he asked worriedly.

Mrs Lindor smiled at him and handed him the card. He read the card out loud, "You have been invited to attend Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye's wedding-" He gasped and looked at his wife with wide eyes. He hugged his wife tightly.

"See? A child can't stay angry at their mother forever. With time, a broken heart heals itself. Maybe she hasn't forgiven you yet, but she has acknowledged you as her mother."

Mrs Lindor cried tears of joy and for the first time in two years, she felt a weight lift itself from her heart.

"Yes, I'm glad her anger has calmed down. I'm so happy for her."

"Look, she even sent us four train tickets to Central. I suppose she's inviting all of us to the wedding." He held out the tickets that were in the envelope.

His wife smiled at him.

"I suppose you're right. This is a new step in life for her and as her family, we have to be there to support her and celebrate this happy moment."

* * *

A.N.: Here you go guys. The official ending. I didn't want Riza to keep hating her mom too much. So it's a start to a new relationship :) And of course, we need a little royai twist in the end. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing once again. It's been fun writing this story.

Please leave me a review of your thoughts on this fanfic. I'm always trying to write better, for an amateur...

See you next time!

D


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